Pass the Watties?

1988 NZ Chef of the Year and Elton John’s former cook, Clive Hitchens, has returned to his roots, opening a meat pie shop in Alameda, California. Hitchens and partner, Donna, had been successfully selling gourmet pies at farmers markets since early 2003, before deciding to open their own restaurant, The New Zealander, this year. “The pies are dressed up for sure in his restaurant. Hitchens … uses gourmet quality ingredients – imported and free-range meats and his own curries – and wraps the meats in a pastry shell so delicate it defies the dish’s reputation of being hearty. But they are still meat pies he’s serving, a food that’s gobbled up with grubby hands everywhere in NZ, at rugby matches, gas stations, corner stores, you name it.”